Die Hochzeitsplanerin

Die Hochzeitsplanerin is the planning business of Judith Schönenberger, a certified wedding planner and photographer based in Gurbrü in the Berner Seeland. She specializes in weddings in German-speaking Switzerland and is unusually open about money: her site publishes four fixed-price packages and an hourly rate for everything else, which is useful for any couple trying to budget from abroad.

Background and Languages

Schönenberger writes that she was born in Zurich in 1977, grew up there and has lived in the Berner Seeland for some time. For an international couple, the most practical line on the site is her language list: she says she can hold a conversation in German, English, French, Italian and Dutch. The site itself is written in German only, and it addresses couples with the informal "ihr", but the language range means an English-speaking couple can reasonably expect to plan with her in English.

Her professional background is in photography and graphic design. Since 2003 she has worked as a wedding photographer and graphic designer, with a focus on logos, flyers and invitations, and she has taught art and photography. Her training list names a degree in art and design education with a focus on photography and graphics at the Hochschule der Künste Bern (1998 to 2003), a master's in visual communication with a photography specialization at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (2006 to 2008), a project management course in 2007, and leadership of the neue schule für gestaltung bern since 2015. On the wedding side, she trained as a planner in 2016 and 2017, was certified in 2017 "mit Bestnote" (with top marks), attended a planning workshop at Pretty cool! and took floristry and decoration workshops in 2016.

Style and Themes

She says she prefers working with couples who want an individual wedding and describes her own taste plainly: "Persönlich stehe ich total auf den Vintage- und Boho-Stil" (personally, I'm totally into vintage and boho style), while staying open to anything that is not too run of the mill. She shares ideas on the site and on her Pinterest account and asks couples which ones speak to them.

The site sketches seasonal themes (a spring wedding by the water in pastel tones, a summer "1001 Nacht" celebration outdoors with tents and lanterns, an autumn picnic, a winter wedding in a castle or a rustic chalet) and a longer list of theme weddings, including vintage romance on a country estate, a classic wedding at a winery, a barn or alpine-hut wedding with a cheese and Zopf buffet, a fairy-tale castle wedding, an industrial city wedding in an old factory, a Wild West ranch party and a 1920s Gatsby style. These are inspiration pieces rather than venues she operates.

The Packages

The four packages are named by wedding size, and each starts with a get-to-know-you consultation.

Paket S, CHF 900, for a small wedding, includes 1 location proposal, 1 supplier suggestion, 1 short phone meeting, and either a day schedule or a wedding check, plus a phone appointment.

Paket M, CHF 2900, for a medium wedding, includes 2 location proposals, 2 supplier suggestions, 2 phone meetings, a day schedule, a wedding check, 2 meetings and 6 hours of presence on the wedding day.

Paket L, CHF 4900, for a large wedding, includes 3 location proposals, 5 supplier suggestions, 3 short phone calls, 3 detailed meetings, 1 on-site meeting, a wedding script with a wedding check, and 9 hours on the day.

Paket XL, CHF 6900, which the site labels a "mega Hochzeit", includes 3 location proposals, 10 supplier suggestions, as many phone meetings as needed, 2 on-site meetings, the wedding script with check, and 12 hours on the day.

À la Carte Services

For couples who do not want a package, most work is billed at 120 francs an hour. The first consultation costs a flat 120 francs, which is waived if it leads to a package. Planning, budgeting advice, supplier contracts and full organization are charged by the hour, and the page says couples decide the scope and can end the work at any time. A location scout, where she names the three best venues for the couple's wishes, costs 150 francs or is billed by actual effort by arrangement, and three supplier suggestions per category (photographer, caterer, musicians and so on) cost the same. A mood board, and on request a logo, save-the-date, invitation, table, menu and thank-you cards, are billed at the hourly rate, as is a check of a plan the couple has made themselves.

Coordination on the day, covering the schedule, suppliers, guest questions, group photos and tips, is charged per hour for as long as the couple wants, plus expenses. She also offers a wedding waltz crash course, drawing on long dancing experience and a turn at the Vienna Opera Ball, at 120 francs per lesson plus expenses. On similar terms she helps with engagement parties, bridal showers, bachelor and bachelorette parties, the honeymoon, and other events such as birthdays.

Photography

Photography is her stated passion. She offers to photograph weddings, couple shoots for the invitation card, "Trash the Dress" and after-wedding shoots, or to work as a second shooter, with individual quotes. Her photographs are not online at the moment because she is reworking that offer, so couples need to ask to see them.

What the Site Does Not Settle

The site answers the price question better than most, but some things remain open. It does not state travel costs for weddings far from the Seeland beyond the "Spesen nach Aufwand" (expenses as incurred) noted on coordination and dance lessons. It names no team, so a couple should ask who is present during the hours on the day in each package. It shows no reviews or past weddings. And the photography offer has no prices.

Where She Works and Who It Suits

Her experience page says she specializes in weddings in German-speaking Switzerland and that she cannot currently take on weddings abroad for private reasons. It also advises bringing a planner in as early as possible, because the best venues and suppliers are often booked more than a year ahead.

Die Hochzeitsplanerin suits couples marrying in German-speaking Switzerland who want a creative, style-led planner, and who value knowing the cost up front. The small package and the hourly services make it easy to buy only a location scout or a check of an existing plan, which suits couples organizing much of the wedding themselves. International couples benefit from her five languages. Couples planning a wedding outside Switzerland, or who want a large agency with several coordinators on the day, will need to look elsewhere.